News : POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Auchincloss’s PRIMARY PROTECTION — GRADING Walsh and Janey

Monday, July 12, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Auchincloss’s PRIMARY PROTECTION — GRADING Walsh and Janey — Lawmakers flex MUSCLE over Baker

Jul 12, 2021

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: PRIMARY PROTECTION PROGRAM — U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss is raking in cash and padding his war chest as he looks to ward off potential primary challengers next year.

Auchincloss is expected to report raising more than $700,000 in the second quarter, according to a campaign spokesman, building on the $469,000 he brought in during the first quarter of the year. He's also expected to report more than $1.4 million in cash on hand. Second-quarter campaign finance reports are due to the Federal Election Commission by Thursday.

The first-term congressman is hoarding cash amid rumblings that Democrats he defeated in last year's 4th Congressional District primary may step up to challenge him again. Auchincloss won the hotly contested primary to replace then-Rep. Joe Kennedy III by a razor-thin margin over second-place finisher Jesse Mermell and other Democrats who were largely perceived as more progressive than him.

Auchincloss has since voted with his caucus 100% of the time in Washington — and that party fealty likely helped him land a plum perch as vice chair of the House Financial Services Committee. He's not as outspoken on progressive issues as some of his first-year counterparts, like Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) — and has even been at odds with "Squad" members, including fellow Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, over the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict and whether the Justice Department should push to reinstate the death penalty against Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Auchincloss's more establishment-aligned politics aren't currying him much favor with progressives in his district who might rise to challenge him — or back a primary opponent against him — in 2022. But his continued fundraising prowess is making it harder for them to organize a bid against him.

Plus, Auchincloss is drumming up name recognition through a slew of national media appearances, which have ranged from calls to expel fellow first-year Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) from Congress to the U.S. Marine Corps veteran's more recent push to ensure Afghan translators and others who worked with the U.S. military are evacuated as troops proceed with their withdrawal.

By not making waves in Washington and working to replenish his coffers, Auchincloss is taking a similar tack to Rep. Lori Trahan. Trahan narrowly defeated Dan Koh — now Labor secretary Marty Walsh's chief of staff in D.C. — in the open-seat 3rd Congressional District primary in 2018. He almost challenged her again in 2020, citing campaign finance issues she was ultimately cleared of, before backing down.

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Happy Monday! More Covid-19 restrictions are lifting today for courts and in city halls from Boston to Somerville.

TODAY — Rep. Ayanna Pressley testifies during the state legislative redistricting committee's hearing regarding the 7th Congressional District at 10 a.m. Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey offers remarks alongside Boston Housing Authority Administrator Kate Bennett at a ribbon cutting ceremony for Harbor125 Apartments at 10:30 a.m. and at a ground-breaking ceremony for new land at Eastie Farm at 6 p.m. Rep. Lori Trahan joins UMass President Marty Meehan and UMass Lowell officials to discuss Covid-19 relief funding at 11 a.m. at University Crossing in Lowell. Sen. Adam Hinds leads a legislative "Reimagining Committee" hearing on post-pandemic transportation needs at 1 p.m.

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

– "Lawmakers approve $48B late budget," by Christian M. Wade, CNHI/Eagle-Tribune: "Lawmakers on Friday signed off on a $48.1 billion late budget buoyed by an unexpected surge in revenue. … The budget doesn't raise taxes and scraps a planned $1.5 billion drawdown from the state's 'rainy day' fund. Instead it calls for another $1.1 billion in capital gains taxes to be pumped into the reserves, bringing the fund to a record $5.8 billion by next year. The state's pension system would get a $250 million supplemental deposit under the spending plan. Chapter 70 school aid would increase by $219.6 million to $5.5 billion. The plan also sets up a $350 million trust fund for the Student Opportunity Act, a law that requires the state to spend an additional $1.5 billion in K-12 education over the next seven years."

– "Massachusetts Teachers Association says lack of funding in fiscal 2022 budget creates disproportionate negative effect on students of color," by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: "The Massachusetts Teachers Association has said the Legislature passed a 'status quo' budget for fiscal 2022 and that the lack of funding creates a disproportionate negative effect on working-class students and students of color. … 'While maintaining the provisions of the Student Opportunity Act and establishing a special fund for school spending are positive steps, we must remember that our public schools — and our public colleges and universities — have been grossly underfunded for decades,' [MTA President Merrie] Najimy said."

– "Massachusetts lawmakers take action to close rape kit testing loophole," by Karen Anderson and Kevin Rothstein, WCVB: "The Massachusetts state budget now sitting on Gov. Charlie Baker's desk includes language with a strong message from House Speaker Ron Mariano to the State Police Crime Lab and the Baker Administration: Test all rape kits in Massachusetts once and for all."

– "Under Mass. law, 1.2 million women qualified for free birth control; So, why did only about 300 take advantage of it?" by Sarah Betancourt for MassLive.com: "As Beacon Hill considers approving $500,000 of state funds for an educational campaign to inform the public they might have access to a year of free birth control all at once, the state's Department of Insurance has been making moves to clarify the so-called Access Law to insurers. The move comes after an investigation revealed that only about 300 women obtained a 12-month supply of birth control in 2020 through the state's largest insurers under a 2017 law that permits them to do so, although at least 1.2 million qualified."

– "As Pandemic Fades, Massachusetts Lawmakers Take More Active Role," by Steve Brown, WBUR: "[Gov. Charlie Baker] spent billions of dollars in federal aid with little oversight from the state Legislature. But as the pandemic recedes, lawmakers are reasserting their control. ... The shift has been on full display in recent weeks as the governor pressed the Legislature to give him permission to swiftly spend more than $2 billion dollars in new federal aid on everything from more affordable housing to job training to environmental projects."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

– "Slowly, Mass. Is Closing The Racial Gap In Vaccination Rates," by Angus Chen, WBUR: "Back in May, only 37% of Black residents and 33% of Hispanic residents had at least one shot compared to 55% of white residents. Today, that near 20-point chasm has shrunk to 14 percentage points. As of Thursday, roughly 50% of both Hispanic and Black residents have received at least one dose, whereas 64% of white residents shared the same security."

– "'In the dark' Local COVID variant data no longer available to Cape Cod health officials, by Cynthia McCormick, Cape Cod Times: "Even as federal funds have poured into efforts to genomically sequence positive cases of coronavirus to identify variants, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has taken to releasing the information only on a state and regional level, which in this geographic area is New England. ... Some COVID-19 experts say regional reporting waters down data and robs communities of the opportunity to quickly react to situations like the P.1 variant showing up on Cape Cod."

FROM THE HUB

– "Acting mayor offers reprieve to some city employees on return to work," by Stephanie Ebbert, Boston Globe: "Acting Mayor Kim Janey offered a last-minute reprieve to city employees whose union filed an unfair labor practice over her order to return to work immediately following the July Fourth weekend. Janey's administration has agreed to let some SEIU Local 888 employees delay their return to work, if a review of their individual circumstances warrants it. The union then agreed to drop the complaint it filed last month with the state's Division of Labor Relations. … But it's unclear exactly what that means for the rest of the city's work force."

– "Boston School Committee unanimously approved 95 of 99 agenda items in last year and a half," by Alexi Cohan, Boston Herald: "Members of the Boston School Committee have unanimously approved 95 of 99 action items in the last year and a half, raising concerns of 'rubber stamping' among the community, which one [school committee] member called 'insulting.'"

– "Boston Pride announces closing amid controversy over inclusion," by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: "Boston Pride, which for a half-century advocated for the rights of the LGBTQ community, is dissolving amid a controversy over inclusion, the group's board of directors announced Friday, threatening the future of New England's largest Pride parade."

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

– "How do Boston mayoral candidates grade Walsh, Janey?" by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "The Herald asked the six major mayoral candidates to give letter grades for both former Mayor Martin Walsh and Acting Mayor Kim Janey, and then to briefly explain their reasoning for each."

– "Mayoral candidates press the flesh as in-person campaigning makes a return," by Jack Lyons and Ivy Scott, Boston Globe: "Boston's mayoral candidates took to the streets Saturday to give hugs, pet dogs, and knock on doors, signaling a return to traditional, in-person campaigning in the waning days of the coronavirus pandemic, as the six face off in the hotly contested race."

– FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Bridget Nee-Walsh has been endorsed by the Laborers Local 151 in her campaign for Boston City Council at-large, per her campaign. "Bridget will be a champion for working families on the City Council, and will fight every day for fair wages, benefits, and workplace protections," Allen Boyer, Business Manager of Local 151, said in a statement through the campaign.

PARTY POLITICS

– Republican state Sen. Ryan Fattman has a new legal defense fund.

The fund, filed with the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance at the start of the month, is meant to help pay for outstanding legal fees associated with the lawsuit Fattman, his wife and others filed in March in hopes of blocking OCPF from potentially forwarding an investigation into their campaign finances to the state attorney general's office. A judge denied their request for a preliminary injunction, and outgoing OCPF head Michael Sullivan referred the investigation to the AG days before his departure in April.

The Fattmans withdrew their lawsuit, which alleged that Sullivan was acting with "bias," at the end of June. "Due to this bias, we asked the court to stop Michael Sullivan from referring a matter to the attorney general in violation of OCPF's own statute," Fattman said in a statement to POLITICO. "But since Sullivan decided to do so anyway, this matter moves out of the court system, which is why the matter is dismissed and now must be paid for. I will always stand up against political prejudice and fight for my family, and what is right."

Fattman's legal defense fund, which can raise unlimited sums, was created weeks after the Boston Globe reported the state Republican Party had asked state campaign finance regulators if it could dip into its own fund to pay attorney fees for an unnamed GOP candidate facing "legal actions" by the state.

DAY IN COURT

– "Federal judge withdraws Boston exam school opinion, says he was 'misled' by school committee text messages," by Alexi Cohan, Boston Herald: "A federal judge has withdrawn his opinion that had ruled in favor of a zip-code-based temporary Boston Public Schools exam school admissions policy, saying the district 'misled' him by leaving out text message records that included now-controversial disparaging comments."

– "Rollins moves to overturn thousands of convictions based on testing at now-closed state drug lab," by Andrea Estes, Boston Globe: "Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins on Thursday moved to overturn tens of thousands of drug convictions that were based on testing conducted at the scandal-plagued William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute, which closed in 2012. In court papers filed Thursday, Rollins's office asked that the Supreme Judicial Court decide whether new trials should be granted to anyone whose evidence was tested at the lab — regardless of whether the chemist who did the analysis has been implicated in wrongdoing. If the court agrees, the DA would then likely drop the charges against most of the defendants."

– More: "Hearing Officer Finds Misconduct Against Former Drug Lab Prosecutors," by Deborah Becker, WBUR: "Three former Massachusetts assistant attorneys general, accused of withholding information that evidence was tainted in thousands of drug cases, engaged in professional misconduct, according a report by a state hearing officer released last week."

WARREN REPORT

– "The enduring appeal of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren among progressives on display at Springfield 'meet and greet'," by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: "A 'meet and greet' event outside U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren's local office in downtown Springfield drew primarily progressives and Democratic elected officials eager to rub elbows with the lawmaker loved by the left and reviled by the right."

MARKEYCHUSETTS

– "OTR: Sen. Ed Markey finds Massachusetts Interstate 95 standoff 'disturbing'," by Ed Harding and Janet Wu, WCVB: "The U.S. senator from Massachusetts says extremism is on the rise on the left and right, he is calling upon Facebook to pull down extremist pages."

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

– "Efforts to pursue climate goals in Mass. clash with incentives offered that promote fossil fuels," by Sabrina Shankman, Boston Globe: "The state's climate plan demands that 1 million households be converted from fossil fuels to electric heat by the end of the decade, part of a sweeping transition meant to help stave off the worst of climate change's consequences. And yet the state's only incentive program, and its best tool for helping convince businesses and homeowners to make that switch, is sticking with rebates for new carbon-emitting systems likely to remain in service long past that deadline."

FROM THE 413

– "Across the country, families are reuniting. For immigrants, it's more complicated," by Francesca Paris, Berkshire Eagle: "As vaccines have allowed life in Berkshire County to return to a relative normal, with restaurant dining, weddings and Fourth of July gatherings, some residents with family across international borders have yet to experience that glee of post-vaccine reunions. Some cannot return because their home countries still have significant restrictions, including mandated quarantines, while others worry about the major COVID-19 outbreaks, significant variant presence and low vaccination rates."

– "Easthampton business owner signals mayoral run against LaChapelle," by Jacquelyn Voghel, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "The owner of Fort Hill Brewery, Eric Berzins, has pulled nomination papers to run for mayor, though he said he will likely remove himself from the race if another qualified candidate runs against incumbent Mayor Nicole LaChapelle. Berzins, 35, believes that contested elections are healthy for democracy, and he also thinks that several aspects of city leadership should be improved."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– "Face-to-face talks Friday between nurses, St. Vincent Hospital fail to end strike," by Kim Ring, Worcester Telegram & Gazette: "After spending an extended day at the bargaining table, striking nurses and negotiators from St. Vincent Hospital left their face-to-face session Friday evening with no resolution."

– "Cluster of violent crimes in Massachusetts leaves cops on high alert," by Marie Szaniszlo, Boston Herald: "Crime has taken a feverish turn this summer leaving experts puzzled, suggesting social isolation from the pandemic or copycat attacks could be behind the surge of random hostility. One thing is sure, the bizarre string of hate has Bay State law enforcement officials on alert."

– "Parents group launches campaign for 'true diversity of thought' in New England private schools," by Jenna Russell, Boston Globe: "A group of parents whose children attend New England private schools has mobilized to fight for 'true diversity of thought' in classrooms, an effort resembling those launched elsewhere in the country in the spring by conservative groups and families against what they describe as the 'indoctrination' of students with 'woke' ideas about race and social issues."

– "Aly Raisman reunited with her dog Mylo: 'I'm just really grateful he's safe'," by Alexi Cohan, Boston Herald: "Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman has been reunited with her puppy Mylo thanks to the sharp eyes of two passersby — and told the Herald she'll do what she can to help others searching for their lost pets."

THE NATIONAL TAKE

– "POLITICO-Harvard poll: Americans sharply divided over vaccine mandates," by Dan Goldberg, POLITICO: " Americans are almost evenly divided over whether schools or most private employers should require Covid-19 vaccinations as part of reopening, according to a POLITICO-Harvard survey that shows how politically fraught any kind of mandate would be. Most Democrats support forcing employees and students to be vaccinated before they return to work or the classroom, and approve of government-issued documents certifying their status. Republicans oppose the government or most employers infringing on their individual choice."

SPOTTED – Former Virginia governor and current gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe at the Nantucket airport (h/t Cole Perry). Tweet. Warren in the audience Saturday night at Jacob's Pillow dance festival in Becket, where she watched a show by the Contra-Tiempo dance group.

TRANSITIONS – Jane Lytvynenko has left BuzzFeed News to join Joan Donovan's team at Harvard. Tweet. Gabriela Coletta starts today as the external relations manager for the New England Aquarium's downtown waterfront planning initiative. She was previously chief of staff to Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Charlestown state Rep. Dan Ryan, Daily Hampshire Gazette reporter Scott Merzbach and Gregorio Gomez.

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THE ROAD TO TOKYO 2020 – A TUESDAY CONVERSATION WITH FIRST VICE PRESIDENT OF THE IOC ANITA DEFRANTZ: The Tokyo Olympics kick off July 23, 15 months after being postponed. One problem … Japan's capital city is in a Covid state of emergency and has prohibited fans from attending. With financial pressure to push forward and potential punishment for any athletes involved in protests or demonstrations during the sporting event, these Olympics Games will be unlike any other. Join Global Translations author Ryan Heath for a POLITICO Live conversation with Anita DeFrantz, First Vice President, International Olympic Committee, on what's at stake in the Tokyo Olympics, as a global health crisis, sports and politics all come to a head. REGISTER HERE.